Privacy policy

Introduction and scope

Jaco Louw Motors protects the personal information of everyone it deals with, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, how we keep it safe and what rights you have. It applies to all personal information we process about:

• Customers who buy, trade in or sell vehicles through us, or buy extras such as a Service & Maintenance Plan or TPMS sensors
• Finance applicants and their spouses or partners
• People who ask us to find a vehicle for them through our sourcing service
• Customers who agree to be photographed at vehicle handover
• Visitors to jacolouwmotors.co.za and people who contact us by phone, email, WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram
• Suppliers, service providers and employees

It covers information collected in person at our showroom, on paper, electronically and through our website forms.

Responsible party and Information Officer

Jaco Louw Motors is the responsible party for your personal information. Our Information Officer is accountable for compliance with POPIA and handles all privacy requests and complaints.

Our PAIA manual, which explains how to request access to records we hold, is available on request.

Personal information we collect

We collect only what we need for the service you ask for. Most of it comes directly from you: in person, by phone, email and WhatsApp, or through our website's finance application, sell or trade-in form, car-sourcing request, contact form, and the enquiry forms for our Service & Maintenance Plan and TPMS sensors. For a general enquiry we need only your name and a cell number or email address.

We do not ask for special personal information as defined in section 26 of POPIA (such as religion, race, health or biometrics), but financial and credit data is highly sensitive and handled with extra care. We do not knowingly collect information about children (anyone under 18); vehicle finance is available only to adults. If you give us information about someone else, such as a spouse or next of kin, you confirm that you have their permission to do so.

Why we use your information

We process personal information only for specific, lawful purposes under section 11 of POPIA.

We will not use your information for a purpose that is incompatible with the reason we collected it. If you withhold required information, we may not be able to complete a sale or finance application.

Who we share it with

We never sell your personal information. We share it only where needed for the purposes above, and only with parties bound by confidentiality and POPIA.

Every operator that processes information on our behalf must sign a written agreement requiring appropriate security measures (POPIA ss20–21).

Cross-border transfers

Our dealer management system, VMG, stores customer, vehicle and deal records on servers in South Africa. Our website and dealer platform (DealRoom) are hosted outside South Africa, on servers in Helsinki, Finland. Finland is in the European Union, so the hosting is covered by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which gives protection substantially similar to POPIA. This means that what you send through our website forms, including finance applications and uploaded documents, is stored outside South Africa. Other providers, such as Google (Analytics and Maps), WhatsApp, Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and email providers, may also store data outside South Africa. We transfer personal information across borders only as section 72 of POPIA allows. The recipient must be bound by a written agreement, or by laws or binding corporate rules, that protect your information substantially as POPIA does, and that stop it being passed on to another country without the same protection. Where that is not in place, we transfer information only with your consent, or where the transfer is needed for the sale, finance application or other service you asked for. We keep website enquiries and applications on the platform only until they are moved into VMG, and delete them from the platform within [X days].

Security, retention and destruction

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to keep your information safe, as required by section 19 of POPIA.

• Website forms are submitted over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection.
• Finance applications, including ID numbers, are stored encrypted on our dealer platform, and only staff who handle your application can see them.
• Supporting documents (ID, licence, payslips, bank statements) are uploaded through a private link we give you after you apply. If you send them on WhatsApp instead, we move them to your application file and delete them from the chat within [X days].
• Unfinished finance applications and sourcing requests are saved only in your own browser until you send them. A finance draft is deleted after 30 days, or sooner if you tap Start fresh or send the application. On a shared computer, tap Start fresh when you are done.
• Paper files are kept in locked storage at our Overbaakens premises.
• Staff sign confidentiality undertakings and are trained on POPIA.
• Passwords, access controls, antivirus and regular backups protect our systems.

Security compromises

If we believe your information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible, as required by section 22.

How long we keep information

After that, records are securely destroyed or de-identified: paper by shredding, electronic records by permanent deletion.

Direct marketing, cookies and social media

Direct marketing

We send marketing by SMS, WhatsApp or email only to customers who bought from or sold to us (about similar vehicles and services), or to people who have opted in. Every message tells you how to opt out, free of charge. Reply STOP, or email jaco@jacolouwmotors.co.za, and we will stop within a reasonable time.

Cookies and website data

Our website uses a small number of cookies and similar browser storage:

• Essential: remembers your cookie choice for 12 months, and your display settings.
• Analytics, only if you accept: Google Analytics shows which pages and vehicles people look at, so we know what to stock. You choose on the cookie banner when you first visit. To change your mind, clear cookies for our site and choose again.
• Saved forms: unfinished finance applications, sourcing requests and finance calculator settings are saved in your browser so you don't lose your answers. They stay on your device and are not sent to us until you submit.
• Google Maps: the map on our home and contact pages is loaded from Google, which may set its own cookies.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; some features may then not work.

Social media and WhatsApp

When you contact us through WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram, those platforms also process your information under their own privacy policies. The safest way to send ID documents, payslips and bank statements is the private upload link we give you after you apply. You may send them on WhatsApp if you prefer; we move them to your application file and delete them from the chat within [X days]. Please don't send them through Facebook or Instagram messages.

Your rights and how to complain

Under POPIA you have the right to:

• Know whether we hold your personal information and ask for a copy of it
• Ask us to correct, update or delete information that is wrong, outdated, excessive or unlawfully obtained
• Object to processing based on legitimate interest, and to direct marketing at any time
• Withdraw consent, without affecting processing already done or processing required by law or contract
• Not be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing, such as automated credit scoring, without a chance to make representations
• Complain to the Information Regulator

To use these rights, email our Information Officer at jaco@jacolouwmotors.co.za or visit us at 18 Restitution Ave, Overbaakens. We may ask you to prove your identity first. We will respond within a reasonable time, and within 30 days for access requests under PAIA. Access requests may carry the prescribed PAIA fee.

The Information Regulator

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your complaint, you can contact the Information Regulator (South Africa):

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services or the law change. The latest version, with its effective date, will always be on our website at jacolouwmotors.co.za/privacy.

Effective date: 01 October 2026 · Approved by: Jaco Louw